On this day in hip-hop history, Queens rapper Ja Rule released his debut LP, “Venni Vetti Vicci.” As the first release on Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. record label, it was a project that marked a major leap not only for Ja Rule’s career, but for the career and integrity of Murder Inc Records as a whole.
Fortunately, the album was a hit, catapulting Ja Rule and Murder Inc. into the ranks of New York’s most respected and successful rappers. Ja Rule’s power, style and energy blended perfectly with and helped popularize the East Coast hardcore movement of the late ’90s and early 2000s.
The appeal of this album is its blend of high energy, club jam production and hardcore gangster lyrics. Though Ja Rule’s pen is not the best, the party appeal of the project caused the album to fly off the shelves in record stores across the country. The album’s commercial reception was better than anyone could have hoped for for a debut album, reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop charts, #3 on the Billboard 200 charts and going platinum the year it was released.
